Hey, There?s good and bad in every week. There?s those days that won?t go right if your pockets were bursting with hundreds. This was a strange week. My computer crapped out about the time I found out that I had four articles to complete for the October HOT BIKE and the brothers wanted me to write the editorial about leaving and the future of HOT BIKE.
Then I had a meeting with some of the staff and saw where lines were being drawn and not in favor of the reader. I?ve been around just long enough to know right from wrong, fair and not fair and how to leave the ego at home. As I wandered through the Irvine show I ran into Scott Long from Central Coast Cycles. ?I?m sorry to see you step down, but know that if you continue to write for them you?ll bring soul to the pages,? he said.
To me this business is all about heart and soul. It?s about the fun and passion of riding kick-ass custom bikes, chasing girls and feeling the adventure and freedom of the open road. And goddamnit, if that?s not the deal, it ain?t for me. Let?s hit the news and pray that my new computer arrives tomorrow:
Another unreal morning ride in the Joshua Tree Monument. The sky was so blue it hurt. The ride was nice and cool. Not bad for the High Desert when it will reach in the 90`s today. If ever anyone out there passes thru the High Desert, you need to experience the ride thru our national park.
Be Cool
–Bob T
On the north end, some took a small step to bring more non-bikers last month. Organizers of the Dixie Chicken fishing tournament moved the event from late June to Memorial Day weekend. Attendance didn’t drop from the 400 or so who usually participate, and organizers say it was a success. “Everything happens a little bit farther south [of the tournament],” organizer Ron McManus said, referring to the bike rally activities. “We can’t let one thing run the show. “As many as 500,000 bikers converge on the Grand Strand for two rallies in May, the Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association Myrtle Beach Rally and the Atlantic Beach Bikefest during Memorial Day weekend. Some businesses love the back-to-back bike rallies, others loathe them. Every year, some businesses grumble about “The May Effect” – the nickname for the off revenues and vacant parking spaces at their establishments. A group of business leaders formed a task force a year ago to come up with a solution but didn’t find one. “We run away from it. We don’t want to talk about it,” said Pat Dowling, spokesman for Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc. “But we need to do something about it. … The bike weeks are here to stay. Nobody has really taken up that challenge. “The bikers do spend money while they are here, though no official estimates exist.
Hotels typically do well during both events, while attractions tend to suffer. Most bikers find their entertainment riding, watching other bikers or partying – not catching a theater show or riding a water slide. Even some businesses that benefit from the bikers long for the days when May brought vacationing families, which some say spend more than the bikers. “I be danged if I know what to do about it,” said Roddy Swaim, a broker at Dunes Realty, which oversees about 1,000 rental properties. “Everybody talks about it, but there’s not much you can do about it. I have to play the hand I’m dealt. “The chamber of commerce doesn’t even promote the month any more. Chamber President Brad Dean has a letter detailing the bike events ready to send to potential non-biker vacationers who ask about visiting during May so they aren’t surprised if they do show up. Rogue
Well, I got home from work yesterday morning with a million things buzzing in my head. I decided to put a pot of coffee on and edit my Milwaukee Iron piece. So after editing the story a little and adding the spec sheet, I had downed the pot of Joe. Now since the ROT rally is only two hours from where I live, I decided to take a chance and make a maniacs run to Austin with no sleep. Hey you only live once, right?
So I get to Austin, and luckily find a diner where I can load up on more coffee. I made the trip in just under two hours, so it was barely 9am. No bikers even thinking about moving around yet. I decided to get a little Hill country riding in, when I notice a picnic area that looks just about right for a nap. I pull into it and pull my jacket off the fender and use it as a pillow. Nothing quite like sleeping in the grass next to your bike. When I wake up, it was almost 5 hours later and there were plenty of bikes around. I decided to head down to the rally and see what’s up. First of all, my wife took the batteries out of my digital camera so she could charge them in the charger. Unluckily for me, the charger is two hours away on my desk. So no matter the amount of sweet ass rides I saw, I have no pictures.
Then I begin to walk around trying to “mingle”, and maybe get a few interviews for the magazine. Do you know how hard it is to get someone to talk to you when they have never heard of you? No matter who I talked to, when they asked if I had a card or something stating I was with Hot Bike, all I could answer was a ,”Duh,…no.” How Fucking embarrassing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As it started getting dark, I began to enjoy some of the “adult” beverages. With each drink, I was becoming more brazenly agitated and ornery. It had been a long night, I had worked the 5pm to 5 am shift, drove straight here and now nothing was going right. What a great way to get in good with the guys at the magazine. I have no story, no pictures, and I am getting drunk. Then someone shows up with the August issue of Hot Bike and starts telling me my name isn’t in there. As we flip through the mag like a couple of crackhead whores with a new book of food stamps, I realize this cocksmoker is right. I’m not in the mag anywhere.
Do you realize what a lying piece of shit people thought I was when I began to explain,” Maybe I’ll be in next month’s issue”….I looked like an asshole. Then some butt lick decided to start giving me shit about painting my 100 anniversary Fat Boy black with a rattle can. Not only was he giving me shit, but his buddy was making condescending remarks about how I was a “wink,wink” writer for Hot Bike.
That’s it. I have had enough Fuckos.
“First of all, you slimy piece of dog shit dripping from a poodles’ snout, if you want to get your own bike, go ahead, paint it whatever fuckin color you like. If you don’t like my bike, Great! I could give a frog’s fat fuckin ass. And secondly, you….,pointing to the near 300 pond pile of bigfoot ancestry, “If you don’t think I write for Hot Bike, here’s my card.”
I walked towards him reaching behind me like I was pulling a card from my wallet and palmed his fat fuckin neck in one smooth stroke. This was around the time I was tackled by a few “onlookers” and was forced to curl up in a ball and pray that someone rescued my silly ass. Lucky for me, a high school buddy works for the Po Po’s in Austin, and I was released at the jail on the condition that I drove straight home.
Well, I came home and decided to put pen to paper. Man what a fucked up weekend.
To be truthful, this whole story was bullshit. I actually had to work, and wasn’t able to make the rally. This is close to what I imagined to happen, but hey…I had to keep myself occupied at work. Hope you fellas like the Milwaukee Iron piece, and I will send in the Red Hill Piece early this week.
Later! Johnny
The wheels can shift and spread on T.C. engines that put out over 90 HP!! Especially if you are always putting the hammer down. I had one set from a 107 engine that had spread .013″ 180 away from the crank pin. I had a stock H-D 103″ CVO shift .008″. The engines were 03′ and later by the way. Both of these engines were puting out well over 110 HP at the rear wheel. The 107 got a set of S&S stk. stroke replacement wheels. The 103 got a set of S.E. (Jims) flywheels. Since then I have found out that Falicon in Clearwater, Fl. can retrue and weld the crank pin up on the T.C. wheels. Price was like 150.00 or so. Costs go up if they have to break down the wheels and rebuild them if there is a problem. Is this flywheel movement coming from improper side thrusting with the 03′ and later sprocket caged roller bearing?? Don’t know for sure yet. I do remember that a few years ago Top Fuel drag racers were trying to put a Timken brg. set on the pinion side of their engines to help with side thrusting problems they were having to deal with. I think welding up the crank pin on these pressed together wheels might be a good idea. It’s not a new concept. H-D has been doin it for years on their road racin & flat track bikes.
All I can think of is maybe to much brake fluid. Also did you get brake fluid under the gasket between the cover? There is a weep hole also. As far as rebuilding the master cyl. You can do that but the bore usually has nicks etc. in it from whatever. Rebuilding is cheaper but I much rather fix it right. I use my front brake about 98% of the time so I would replace it if it were me.
The 96 and later front master cyl’s are pretty good for the most part. Flush the brake fluid every year or 10,000 miles and it will last a long time.
I don’t think you need to split the caliper. That is unless it’s leaking. What can happen is around the cal. pistons as the pads wear down exposing more of the pistons. A build up of road crud can get on them and can hamper them from retracting back. This can cause the front brakes to squeal. The pads kinda never release from the rotor and glaze over a bit. You can spray them with brake clean, sometimes this cleans the crud off enough. More often though I take off the caliper. If the pads are still good I spread the pads open so the pistons are fully retracted. I remove the pads and deglaze them with a green bristlel wheel in my die grinder.
Remember to take off the master cyl. cap and cover with a rag. Spreading the pads forces brake fluid back up to the master cyl. Also check the brake rotor runout. The new brake disk’s can warp almost by a good strong wind!!
If you look at master cyl. flange and tell me what bore it is. 9/16 or 5/8 I probably have a take off one in my stash. The “Chromosexuals” like have chrome ones installed all the time. Or you check with the local H-D dealer and see if he has some extra ones laying around. Let me know. Pablo
New High-Performance Pipes for Right-Side Drive V-Twins
In NHRA Pro Stock Drag Racing the standard high-performance exhaust pipes are made from stainless steel. Rucker Performance is hand forming custom stainless steel exhaust pipes for all high-performance, right-side drive, soft-tail style, v-twin motorcycles.
?Our Pro-Stock Exhaust Line? is tuned for performance and will offer owners of right-side drive motorcycles with big cubic inch motors greater performance and more style choices,? said Bill Rucker, President of Rucker Performance.
The Pro Stock Exhaust Line? can be purchased at Rucker Performance manufacturing facilities at 817-838-3200 or an authorized Rucker Performance dealer.
?Bill (Rucker) is always on the cutting edge,? said S&S President, Brett Smith. ?He has vision and is not afraid of taking risks and implementing new products to position his company as a market leader. We are pleased to have Rucker Performance as a customer.?
Pro-Stock Exhaust Line? is available for the full line of Rucker Performance motorcycles, Big Dog, APC, Bourget’s Bike Works, Surgical-Steeds, Big Bear Choppers, Softail Harley-Davidson with wide tire and right-side drive conversions and many others.
Authorized dealers for the Pro-Stock Exhaust Line? includes American Classic Cycles in Pelham, AL, Hot Bikes of Minneapolis, MN, Rodney’s Cycle House in Little Rock, AK, Apache Chopper in Weatherford, TX, Big Dog Motorcycles of Houston TX, Bikers Dream of Atlanta, GA, Arlen Ness Motorcycles in Daytona, FL, Arlen Ness Motorcycles in Dublin, CA, Rio Grande Big Dog Motorcycles in Albuquerque, NM and Bikers Dream in Colorado Springs and Denver, CO.
Bill Rucker: (817) 838-3200, billr@ruckerperformance.com
Just got off the phone with Marina and I have some great news!!!! They took Dewey off the vent and the sedation and woke him up. Dewey is responding to questions and He can answer with yes and no. He’s trying to talk in conversation but his speech is garbled up but can be fixed with time and rehab. The right side of his body works good but the left has limited motion but he can probably gain most of it back again with time and patience.
Marina told me that Dewey wanted to sit up in a chair last night so they moved him to a chair and he was able to sit up by himself. She said the doctors were really impressed that he has made so much progress in such a short period of time considering how severe his stroke was.
Marina said she will be moving Dewey very soon to some rehab place in Colorado that can get him rehabbed in a few months time. It sounds like Dewey is going to make a hell of a comeback! I told Marina I’d call late next week and get more info. When I get the name of the rehab place, maybe we can send Dewey a care package to keep the old goat busy. Any ideas what we should put in it besides his favorite Lizard Juice? Maybe we should send him a die grinder and a few sets of heads?
–Robert Brock
robert@rpbrock.com
Very cool skull scooter, eh? Some musician just bought it. Maybe semi-famous.
–PG
Chicago officials back away from parade bike ban after AMA efforts The city of Chicago has significantly changed its recently announced ban on motorcycles in parades in response to AMA inquiries on the issue. The issue came to light after the office of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sent a letter to various parade organizers, stating in part: “effective immediately, the City Parade Regulations have been amended to include a ban on machinery potentially dangerous to spectators and staff working parades.” That machinery included “motorcycles, (pocket) mini motorcycles, mini motor bikes, motor scooters and three- and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles.” The ban outraged AMA members set to take part in Chicago parades this summer. They contacted the AMA, which, in turn, contacted Chicago city officials. At first, officials refused to directly answer AMA questions related to the bike ban. However, a day later, Cindy Gatziolis, spokeswoman for the mayor’s Office of Special Events, called to say the city had modified the ban. Gatziolis said the initial ban was a response to a motorcyclist in a parade who began a stunt and almost careened into a spectator. City officials felt that rather than waiting for someone to get hurt, they should address the safety issue, she said.
“When we first heard of these rules, we couldn’t believe the city would make such a sweeping and discriminatory move,” said AMA Director of State Affairs Sean Maher. “We’re heartened to see them back away from the idea of a total ban on motorcycles so quickly. We’ll continue to monitor the situation as it evolves.”
–from Custer
?The Ironhorsemen? Bike Build Project Team:
A lot of great things are beginning to happen that we know you would like to be aware of, and we have tried to include them all herein. We have commenced filming of various stages of production on the bike build, and we anticipate that this will move smoothly with some fun footage to be used for the various film projects and everyone?s promotional use that we have envisioned. Copies of the DVD will be sent to each of you when this is completed so you can either use it promotionally, add it to your website, send to dealers, use for tradeshows, or however you see fit.
We continue to take still photo?s at various stages of production, events where the bikes will be featured, and we will be posting them to ?The Ironhorsemen? bike build photo?s section of our website each week. Photo?s of initial paintwork is being added to the sight this week.
http://www.americanmotorcycleshop.com/bannerads.html
ARRANGEMENTS are well under way for the 2nd Annual International Speed Trials by BUB, to be held September 5th-9th, 2005.
A substantial prize purse is behind the event, rewarding performances in categories such as ‘Top Time of the Meet’, ‘Top Time for a Conventional Motorcycle’ and ‘Top Time for an Open Motorcycle’ with $5,000 going to the winner of each category.
Separate classes for V-twins from America, Europe and Japan have been set up with a $1,000 prize available to each. Other categories include ‘Top Time: Antique Motorcycle’ and ‘Top Time: Motorcycle Side Car’.
The Speed Trials will be run under AMA and FIM sanctions. Records can be set at both National (AMA) and World (FIM) level. World Records attempts require advance notification and registration with the AMA by 15th June, 2005.
For enthusiasts who simply wish to ‘ride the salt’ at the trials, there will be a ‘Run Watcha Brung’ event, run to AMA guidelines.
Latest news from the organizers is an arrangement with the Wendover Nugget Hotel. Said to offer ‘great accommodation’, the hotel offers preferential room rates for visitors to the Speed Trials, whether for a single night or the whole week. The contact number for room reservations is 800 848 7300, quoting discount code IMST05.
The BUB Racing Project Coordinator is Rhonda Herrin.
INTERNATIONAL SPEED TRIALS BY BUB
Grass Valley, California, USA
Tel: 530 272 4310
Fax: 530 477 7489
E-mail: eventinfo@speedtrialsbybub.com
www.speedtrialsbybub.com
Presents Grandmaster Cacoy Canete From time to time the IMB Academy takes pride in presenting prominent, internationally known martial artists from around the globe to share, teach, and demonstrate their martial art skills to us.
We are proud to announce that on Sunday, June 12th from 9 AM to 4 PM, the legendary Cacoy Canete of Cebu, Philippines will be conducting a five (5) hour hands-on seminar at the IMB Academy. The 85 year old Grandmaster’s list of achievements would be far too numerous to list, so here are just a few:
o Eskrima training since age 7 under older brother “Momoy”
o Amateur boxer, Cebu City 1937/39
o Wrestler, Philippine National Wrestling Association 1957
o Black Belts: Shorin Karate 1969, Aikido 1984, Kodokan 1985
o Presidential Champion Trophy, 1st National Masters Open, 3/24/79
o Champion, 1st National Arnis Invitational, August 19, 1979
o Ret. Lieutenant, Military Police, Philippine Army
o Ret. Captain, Reserve Armed Forces of the Philippines
o Cebu Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Philippines 1997
o Hall of Fame Inductee: Black Belt Magazine, Filipino Martial Arts and 2X United States Martial Arts,
This seminar will cover hands-on training on the advance Doce Pares olisi (rattan), forms for exercise, and short rattan (dagger) for self-defense.
Bring your gym clothes, eskrima equipment and learn from a living legend for self-defense and martial arts’ sport.
June 12, 2005, 9am to 4pm, 4 hrs @ $75.00
$65.00 if paid before June 1st
$55.00 if paid before May 14th
Tel (310) 787-8793 web site www.IMBACADEMY.com Fax (310) 787-8795 IMB Academy, Inc. 22109 So. Vermont Avenue, Torrance, CA
IT?S AS HARRIED AS A TRAFFIC JAM DURING RUSH HOUR–I?m still fuckin? with this damn computer madness. But all is not lost. Keep throwing wood on the fire and something will burn, goddamnit. George, the Wild Brush, showed up this morning and pinstriped the Sturgis Shovel sheet metal and Fantasy in Iron air cleaners. Suddenly all the elements of my life came together, like the touch of a women makes a man?s day.
George (310) 488-5488, laid some lines on the clear aluminum parts and pulled it all together. He even suggested that I find a small 5-ball for the center of the tank and the notion was the perfect touch so we striped her with the dull rusty brown to match the frame and 5-Ball orange. It means that I can start assembly immediately, TOMORROW. Now that?s good news.
So, I say it?s time for a beer. Yesterday I fixed the Panhead. She?s on the road again. Time to celebrate.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
